a downward movement or trend, especially one that is sudden, alarming, etc.:

Steel prices went into a spin.

21.

a rapid run, ride, drive, or the like, as for exercise or enjoyment:

They went for a spin in the car.

22.

Slang. a particular viewpoint or bias, especially in the media; slant:

They tried to put a favorable spin on the news coverage of the controversial speech.

23.

Also called tailspin, tail spin. Aeronautics. a maneuver in which an airplane descends in a vertical direction along a helical path of large pitch and small radius at an angle of attack greater than the critical angle, dangerous when not done intentionally or under control.

24.

Rocketry.

the act of intentionally causing a rocket or guided missile to undergo a roll.

a roll so caused.

25.

Also called spin angular momentum. Physics. the intrinsic angular momentum characterizing each kind of elementary particle, having one of the values 0, 1/2, 1/3, … when measured in units of Planck's constant divided by 2π.

26.

Australian. a run of luck; fate.

Verb phrases

27.

spin off,

to create something new, as a company or assets, without detracting from or affecting the relative size or stability of the original:

After the acquisition, the company was required to spin off about a third of its assets.

to cause (an aircraft) to dive in a spiral descent or (of an aircraft) to dive in a spiral descent

9.

(intransitive) foll by along. to drive or travel swiftly

10.

(transitive) Also spin-dry. to rotate (clothes) in a washing machine in order to extract surplus water

11.

(intransitive) to reel or grow dizzy, as from turning around: my head is spinning

12.

(intransitive) to fish by drawing a revolving lure through the water

13.

(intransitive) (informal) to present news or information in a way that creates a favourable impression

noun

14.

a swift rotating motion; instance of spinning

15.

(physics)

the intrinsic angular momentum of an elementary particle or atomic nucleus, as distinguished from any angular momentum resulting from its motion

a quantum number determining values of this angular momentum in units of the Dirac constant, having integral or half-integral values S, s

16.

a condition of loss of control of an aircraft or an intentional flight manoeuvre in which the aircraft performs a continuous spiral descent because the angle of maximum lift is less than the angle of incidence

17.

a spinning motion imparted to a ball, etc

18.

(in skating) any of various movements involving spinning rapidly on the spot

19.

(informal) a short or fast drive, ride, etc, esp in a car, for pleasure

20.

(informal, mainly Brit) flat spin, a state of agitation or confusion

21.

(Austral & NZ, informal) a period of time or an experience; chance or luck; fortune: a bad spin

22.

(commerce, informal) a sudden downward trend in prices, values, etc

23.

(informal) the practice of presenting news or information in a way that creates a favourable impression

24.

(informal) on the spin, one after another: they have lost two finals on the spin

Sense of "to cause to turn rapidly" is from 1610s; meaning "revolve, turn around rapidly" first recorded 1660s. Meaning "attempt to influence reporters' minds after an event has taken place but before they have written about it" seems to have risen to popularity in the 1984 U.S. presidential campaign; e.g. spin doctor, first attested 1984. Spinning wheel is attested from c.1400; spinning-jenny is from 1783 (see jenny); invented by James Hargreaves c.1764-7, patented 1770.

The intrinsic angular momentum of a rigid body or particle, especially a subatomic particle. Also called spin angular momentum.

The total angular momentum of a physical system, such as an electron orbital or an atomic nucleus.

A quantum number expressing spin angular momentum; the actual angular momentum is a quantum number multiplied by Dirac's constant. Fermions have spin values that are integer multiples of 1/2 , while bosons have spin values that are integer multiples of 1.